


Fallen Heroes

by saiikavon



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2014-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 05:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiikavon/pseuds/saiikavon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Tennyson has disappeared. Six months after Ben and his new Omnitrix vanish, it feels like only Kevin and Gwen are still searching for him.</p>
<p>Set in a universe where Omniverse does not exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Late Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I initially began writing this as a gift for a friend who was dying for some angst, but things started going insane in my life and I dropped it for a while. I posted it up on lj semi-recently, but wasn't sure if I was going to continue it or not. I kept coming up with ideas for it, so I decided that, yes, I would continue it.

_A chattering crowd hushed as the lights dimmed inside a packed theater. Anticipation rose with the velvet curtains in front of the stage. A single spotlight lit up in the center, revealing a young man dressed all in green, standing still with his arms at his sides._

_A voice floated into the theater and spoke as if from another dimension, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; our main event: The Amazing Ben Ten and his Incredible Disappearing Act.”_

_The audience grew very still as more lights appeared on the stage, all green and flashing; and swirled around Ben as he lifted his arms. One could almost hear the excitement crackling in the air like a faulty wire as Ben positioned a hand over the Omnitrix._

_He paused._

_Finally, Ben slammed his hand down and then vanished, cuing uproarious applause._

 

***

 

Kevin awoke to the glaring light of the television screen. He groaned and blinked a few times at the harsh light before trying to squint at the numbers on the living room wall clock. Two-thirty…he’d barely slept an hour.

He stretched and sat up, wondering which had woken him this time: the dream or the kinks in his neck from trying to sleep half-upright. It was always one or the other. He hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in a long time.

His eyes went back to the TV, where Will Harangue was wordlessly ranting away. There was a picture of Ben behind him. Kevin pressed the MUTE button on the remote and let the news anchor’s headache-inducing drone flood into the room.

_“…still no sign of the infamous Ben Tennyson, even after six months. Rest assured, my camera crew is on the lookout 24/7 until that menace is found…”_

Six months. To the day, even? Kevin’s forehead wrinkled as he tried to recall the date, but his thoughts just blurred together. He remembered hours better. The day Ben disappeared, they had spent eight hours following signals from the Omnitrix. Three of those hours were of just hope, since by then the signals were changing by the minute. Another two hours were spent putting every Plumber in the galaxy on high alert. Six more on Galvan Prime, working with Azmuth to activate the Omnitrix’s transportation function to bring Ben home. Three trying to convince the police that they were dealing with a missing person case. That left the last five hours of the day to let the realization close in on them: Ben was nowhere to be found.

Six months was plausible; it would explain the panic and urgency giving way to sadness and exhaustion. It would explain why everyone cried less and reminisced more, even if they felt ashamed when they realized they were doing it. Six months was also long enough for the word to spread far, sending criminals from all over the galaxy to take advantage of a planet without its hero. They kept the Plumbers busy, and efforts to find Ben dwindled…

_“…finally, the chief of police announced today that they have called off the search, but mark my words, people: Ben Ten is just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Don’t let your guard down, America; if you know what’s good for you. I’m Will Harangue, and this has been—”_

Kevin put down the remote and stared into the black screen. His stomach curled into a ball. “Shit.”

He stayed on the couch with the news pressing down on him until he became too restless to sit. He steeled himself and headed for Gwen’s room. It was still dark, the only light coming from the computer screen that she was focusing on. There were dark circles under her eyes and her fingers shook from fatigue even as they click-clacked away over the keyboard. Her attention didn’t even waver from the screen as Kevin walked into the room.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.

“Nah. Any luck with your research?”

Gwen sighed. “No. The news sites haven’t reported any new alien sightings in over two weeks; at least nothing that sounds promising. I’ve even tried pulling up old signals from the Omnitrix again, but I can’t get anything new out of them.”

“Then you try and get some rest,” Kevin said. “You’ve been at this for hours.”

“I can’t sleep, Kevin. I just feel like every second I’m not looking for him, something will come up and I’ll miss my chance…” Gwen grew very silent for a moment. “Anything about Ben on the news?”

“Harangue was on again. Tellin’ everyone to stay on their guard.” Gwen snorted. Kevin swallowed, dreading the news he was about to tell her. She was already so worried. “The police have stopped searching.”

Everything in the room seemed to freeze. Gwen slumped over the keyboard, holding her head in her hands.

“First Azmuth, the other Plumbers…Kevin, I don’t know what to do…”

“Hey. The old man didn’t give up.” Kevin put a hand on Gwen’s shoulder. “He’s just not as convinced that Ben’s still in this solar system.”

Gwen sniffed loudly and rubbed at her wrist. It was something she tended to do when Max was brought up; like she wanted to reach for a phone and call him so he could fix everything. But Max wasn’t within Earth communication range; hadn’t been for several weeks. After hours of erratic signals from the Omnitrix, they had lost the signals completely. Most had assumed that the Omnitrix had worn out its power core and shut down, but that answer hadn’t been good enough for Max. He’d taken off in the first ship he could get, determined to track Ben down in space.

“I hate feeling so helpless,” Gwen whispered. She sat up, wiping her eyes on her sleeves, and Kevin leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Go get some sleep, okay? Ben wouldn’t want you running yourself into the ground, you know.”

Gwen smiled. “You’re probably right.” She stood up slowly, arching her back to relieve the tension in her muscles. She gave Kevin a serious, concerned look and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll wake me if anything comes up, won’t you?”

“I promise I will. Now, go. Sleep.”

Gwen left the room with another soft smile. Kevin exhaled slowly in relief. He always considered it a small victory when he got her to sleep (even if that made him a bit of a hypocrite). He briefly considered going back to the living room, but after his shabby hour of sleep and the bad news that came after, that area of the house seemed less appealing.

Instead, he flopped down into the chair Gwen had been sitting in, in front of the computer. Sleeping here would probably screw up his neck for life, but he had something else in mind. Pulling up the extranet, Kevin let his fingers go through the motions to find the Plumbers’ logs. There was a video file there that Kevin had already watched a hundred times over.

He opened it, sat back; smiled as Ben’s face appeared on the screen. Somehow he looked more alive and vibrant than ever, though the Ben on the video was frozen in time, and would never be any different. Still, it was nice to see that cheerful face, whereas in contrast, Kevin had gotten paler and could feel the bags under his eyes.

_“Hey, Grandpa Max. Just reporting in from Galvan Prime, letting you know that I finally have my new Omnitrix.”_ Ben held his wrist up to the screen, giving the camera full view of the new Omnitrix.

_Stupid malfunctioning piece of shit,_ Kevin thought.

_“Didn’t take long at all; so I’m all ready for action again. I really just wanted to tell you that.”_ Ben laughed, full of confidence, as usual. _“Anyway, I think that’s it, so—”_

Kevin’s own voice interrupted from the background. _“Hey, hero, you forget about your meeting with the Nebulian ambassador already? Stop preening so we can get a move on.”_

Ben laughed again, and moved away from the screen just enough so that Kevin could be seen behind him, crossing his arms impatiently. _“Sorry, Kevin,”_ Ben said before turning back to the camera. _“Well, you heard him. The Nebulians await. Talk to you later, Grandpa! Ben, out.”_

Then, just like all the other times Kevin had seen the video, the screen went black. That was always followed with a heavy feeling in Kevin’s chest. He wished there was a video for what came after, because sometimes it felt like he’d never get that again.

Kevin had snuck up behind Ben while the younger boy was turning off the camera, catching him off-guard with the most fearsome of noogies. Ben had laughed himself breathless while trying to shove Kevin off him, Kevin only letting him go after a cry of, “I give, I give!”

It was just a little roughhousing between friends, nothing special in the day-to-day, but for some reason, that memory stuck with Kevin the most. Maybe it’s because it was the last thing they did together before Ben disappeared; maybe it’s because it was a reminder of where they’d started. It didn’t really matter.

“God, I miss you,” Kevin whispered. Then he laughed; because who said stuff like that? “You’re turnin’ me into a sap, dude. Either that or I’m just too fuckin’ tired.”

Kevin’s body sagged in the computer chair; his muscles felt heavy and he was starting to see spots. He rubbed a hand over his face. It came away wet.

“Oh, _hell_ no. C’mon.” His voice shook. “I’ve done my cryin’ already, damn it. C’mon…”

He didn’t want Gwen waking up and finding him like this, so he ground his teeth against the sobs that were shaking his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, as though that would drain the tears out faster. He’d done all his crying this way, in the way-too early morning when no one was around to catch him and he was too tired to hold it all back. But he hadn’t cried like this in a long time.

He waited until the tears were gone to slog back out to the living room (suddenly the couch didn’t sound too bad) for some much-needed sleep. He hoped his eyes wouldn’t be quite so red in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my tumblr!
> 
> Main: http://saiikavon.tumblr.com/  
> Writing blog: http://saiikasnotebook.tumblr.com/


	2. Each Day a New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in Gwen's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I like this chapter, but I'm glad it's done, nonetheless. It's taken me quite a while to move on, since this one was giving me so much trouble. Now I can get to what I really wanted to do in chapter 3!

_He was just a voice tonight, a voice that was there and gone like thunder, after a brief flash of green light. He had been only a voice for quite some time, having faded little by little as the months passed until the last visible part of him had vanished. She didn’t remember the last time she’d seen his face. Even his voice was only a whisper now._

_But as always she clung to it, the last piece of her cousin she could hold onto._

_“Ben, where are you?”_

_“…lost, Gwen…” The green light flickered like something dying, weak and dim._

_“I know you’re lost, and we’re trying to find you. I just need help, Ben. Your aura’s so weak. I need a clue.”_

_“…can’t see anything…”_

_“That’s okay, anything will do. A sound, a smell…anything you tell me, I can use it to find you, Ben, just tell me. Please.”_

_“I…can’t…”_

_“You can! Ben, please—”_

_“…can’t…sorry…” The voice grew quieter, flowing past like a faint breeze. Gwen’s chest tightened._

_“Ben, don’t leave me! Please!”_

 

***

 

The waking world dragged Gwen out of her dreams far too soon. She fought against the sprinkles of warm light touching her face and the coolness of her pillow; squeezed her eyes shut and reached for the fading whispers of Ben’s voice stuck in the corners of her mind. His mana signature was always growing weaker, but she clung to even the thinnest thread she could grasp, hoping that it would somehow lead her to him.

_Please,_ she begged, _Please, Ben, help me find you…_

But, as always, that tiny sliver of energy that was Ben slipped away with her dreams. When she opened her eyes, he was gone for another day.

She lay in bed for several more minutes, arguing with herself over whether it was worth it to start another day and feeling guilty that she had to. But one more day that seemed to promise nothing, no new leads or signs, hardly seemed worth waking up to. Especially when the rest of the world seemed to be giving up, too. One by one, they dropped from the search, making each day feel more and more pointless.

It was another day where Gwen finally dragged herself up, because she knew she would not be one of those people.

She slowly worked herself through the morning routine—washed her face, brushed her hair, dressed in clean clothes and tried to greet the day with the barest of amount of positivity. It was a new day, and every day was a new chance for things to go right.

She passed by Kevin on her way to the kitchen, sprawled out on the couch and mumbling in his sleep while drooling on the cushions. The sight was somewhat of a relief, as she hardly ever saw Kevin close his eyes for more than a couple of hours (not that she was much better). She made sure her steps were light as she walked past. Kevin needed—and deserved—the rest.

And speaking of needs, Gwen headed for the refrigerator to heed the demands of her stomach. As she dug around in the kitchen for breakfast, she made sure to pull out something for Kevin. She had always felt it important that they take care of each other, especially now, when all their supports seemed to be falling out from under them.

_We can’t rely on the police reports anymore,_ she thought sadly, thinking of the news that had come so early this morning. The report had come from Harangue, of all people; and it was not without irony that she noted their only remaining source of information was that irritating newscaster’s show. She idly poked at her bowl of corn flakes with her spoon and wondered if he would broadcast again today.

The same thoughts, the same routine, day after day. And if anything ever changed, it was never for the better.

In the midst of her own depressing thoughts, Gwen heard the sound of the television turning on in the living room, meaning that Kevin was awake. She listened to the muffled sounds of the newscasters Kevin was almost certainly watching, finishing up her breakfast before plucking up the muffin she’d left out for him. Might as well go see if everyone else had caught on to last night’s news.

Kevin was still scrubbing the last of the sleep off his face when Gwen walked in. She plopped onto the couch next to him and tossed him the muffin, which he took and looked at with disdain.

“Sleep all right?” she asked. He grunted in response, biting dutifully into the muffin, and she sighed. “Yeah. Me too.” One long pause in between squabbling politicians later and she continued, “I don’t suppose you found anything helpful last night, after I went to bed?”

Kevin was silent for a moment longer, his face looking grey and bloodless in the florescent glare of the television. Just one look told her all she needed to know about the kind of night he’d had.

“No,” he answered.

Not for the first time, she wondered what he might say, what his reaction might be if she were to tell him about her…“dreams.” She promised herself months ago that she’d tell him about them if they ever got her anywhere…and they never did. Night after night, she’d have to hear Ben’s voice grow fainter and fainter, his presence fade further and further away, and it did nothing to give her hope. She wouldn’t want to leave Kevin as disheartened as she was.

Her only answer to him at this moment was, “I see.”

There was a sudden break in the quiet, gloomy atmosphere just then, as the screen lights up in front of them with a live broadcast. The reporter, some young, smug-looking man, stood in front of a simple, clean yard and an all-too-familiar front door. Before Gwen or Kevin could fully absorb what it was they were looking at it, words scrolled at the bottom of the screen, confirming their fears: “LIVE from Ben Tennyson’s Home.”

“Shit.”

 

***

 

“Thanks, Sherry. We’re here live from Ben Ten’s _former_ home, as only hours ago, the Chief of Police announced they would no longer be searching for the famed hero. The high-school superhero has been missing six months as of today, and we are here to speak with his family about their tragic loss. Have they given up hope, or do they know something that we, the public, don’t know about Ben Ten’s disappearance? I’m Chet Bernstein, telling you to stay tuned.”

The reporter made a “cut” gesture, sweeping his over-gelled hair back with a sigh once the camera was lowered. Back at the studio, he imagined Sherry and her co-anchor, Bart, starting on some story about stray puppies before they cut to a short interview with the Chief of Police. Depending on how long they could keep him on camera, he figured he’d have at least ten minutes to work his way into that house for the inside scoop. Ample time, for a seasoned reporter like himself. He’d planned this ahead of time as well, packed a fruit basket in the news van so he could “show his sympathy” to the grieving family. Then in a conversational tone, he’d ask them how they were holding up. He was sure to get an interview that way.

He got exactly zero minutes to execute any of that, as within the next thirty seconds, a bright green muscle car pulled up to the house, tires screeching loudly. The driver was headed towards him, with a look on his face like he was ready to kill.

“Get the hell off this property!” Kevin shouted, fists clenched at his sides, teeth grinding against each other as he made an effort not to punch this guy in the face. Behind him, Gwen was shouting at him to slow down or calm down or something, while trying to push through the crowd of news vans and gawkers.

“What do you think you’re doing!” the reporter choked out, hands coming up to try and grab at Kevin’s. “We’re about to go live again in ten minutes!”

“Like hell you are!”

“Kevin! Stop!” At that moment, a bright pink shield appeared between Kevin and the reporter, causing the former to drop his target. Gwen fixed her friend with a disapproving scowl, and then turned the same look on the reporter. Her eyes began to glow.

“You all need to clear out, _now_. The Tennysons don’t need vultures like you hovering at their door, so get out!”

The now ragged-looking young man began to stumble to his feet, intending to follow her instructions for fear of getting grabbed again. However, as he stood, he started to get a good look at the two of them. His interviewing face appeared as though it had never left, and he smoothed his hair back with a grin.

“Wait, I know you two…you’re Ben’s cousin, Gwen Tennyson…and his sidekick, uh…Kelvin, right? Hey, this is great! Hey, Logan!” He began to wave the camera man over like an over-excited teenager, while grabbing his microphone as well. “Logan, come here! Are we almost on? Okay, good!”

The cameraman gave the “3, 2, 1” signal, and Chet Bernstein once more introduced himself to the viewers. “Gwen Tennyson,” he began, shoving a microphone under Gwen’s nose, “Tell us, how are you feeling about your cousin’s seemingly permanent disappearance?”

Gwen drew back as though he’d just waved a head of moldy lettuce at her, and then promptly destroyed the camera. Kevin came up behind her, cracking his knuckles.

Moments later, the camera crew and reporters were clearing out, though not before someone caught some footage of them destroying cameras. If this gave them bad press, so be it. Anyone important would side with them, anyway.

“Fucking reporters,” Kevin spat. “Didn’t waste any time, did they?”

“Did you really expect them to?” Gwen asked dryly. Kevin grunted in answer, and Gwen finally turned to Ben’s front door, giving it three short raps. “Aunt Sandra? Uncle Carl? It’s me, Gwen. The reporters are gone, now.”

The door opened cautiously at last, and Sandra Tennyson let the two in the house. Her eyes were red-rimmed and blood-shot, obviously from crying, and Gwen could not blame her for it. The tears welled up again, and Gwen sat her down on the couch while Kevin stood watch at the window, face grim and threatening death to anyone who dared come within ten feet of the house. Carl sat nearby, rubbing his face tiredly, his expression dark with exhaustion. He and Sandra looked older than they were, wrinkles sagging at the corners of their mouths and eyes, hairlines streaked with gray.

Gwen felt a pang of guilt stab at her heart, just looking at them. It was so easy to forget, with all the research and working they’d done to try and find Ben, that his parents were always here, in the dark, everyone around them hiding away like the sun on a cloudy day. She tried to remember the last time she or Kevin had called them. Grandpa Max was obviously in no place to call. They’d been alone.

Sandra wiped a few trickles of tears from her eyes after a few minutes, sighing softly, the sound deep and hollow inside her. She looked to Gwen with a sad smile, and laid a hand on her niece’s arm. “Gwen, I’m so sorry, dear. I want to be grateful you’re here, but…it’s just been so long…I’m so tired…”

Gwen took her hand, giving her an apologetic look. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Aunt Sandra. This…this has to have been hardest on you. I’m sorry I wasn’t around before now.” She squeezed the hand shaking in her own, and looked to her uncle as well, expression sorrowful.

“We haven’t given up, if it helps,” Kevin added. Gwen shot him a grateful smile, and he smiled back, rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward manner. He often said he was no good with the comforting thing, but he made an effort. “And a lot of the Plumbers are still looking…Max—”

“ _Dad_ ,” Carl scoffed. “He took off running like the rest of them, when things looked hopeless. The top Plumber in the galaxy left us just when we needed him most. Like he always did. He never changes.”

Furious, he walked past his hollowed-looking wife into the kitchen, supposedly to cool his head. Kevin had fallen silent, a sheepish, regretful look on his face. He’d said the wrong thing, and he knew it.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Gwen said. “I know Grandpa Max didn’t give up…and we’re still here,” she added, turning to smile at her aunt once more. “We’ll be here whenever you need us. I promise.” When Sandra offered a weak smile, she then asked, “We could stay the night, if you wanted?”

Sandra glanced to either teen, looking surprised and wary. “Are you sure? Don’t you kids have school?”

Gwen shook her head. “No, Aunt Sandra. Don’t worry about it.” She didn’t mention that she’d dropped out months ago, when the search for Ben became a heavier load. Kevin had never gone to school.

Her aunt apparently decided that she could use the company and the comfort, and stood to fix up a couple of rooms for them. Kevin announced that he was going to go back to Gwen’s place for their laptop. He wanted to double-check the sightings, and he said he felt weird using Ben’s computer.

Gwen went to fix some tea. Something to soothe any raw nerves that might be left; comfort any broken souls. It wasn’t much, but it was something that she could offer. Because she certainly couldn’t offer any good news.

Alone in the kitchen, watching steam rise from the tea kettle, Gwen felt her eyes begin to burn. She closed them, embracing the hollow blackness she felt inside this house. So much hopelessness, helplessness, exhaustion, regret…defeat. It all felt so heavy on her heart, so much that she wanted to collapse.

She thought of her Aunt Sandra, Uncle Carl; of her own parents, Ben’s friends, and of Kevin. The heaviness lifted just slightly…not much, but a little, and she opened her eyes.

Someone had to keep everyone going. It might as well be her.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr!
> 
> Main: http://saiikavon.tumblr.com/  
> Writing blog: http://saiikasnotebook.tumblr.com/


End file.
